FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — The U.S. Army has identified the Soldier facing eight felony charges stemming from an alleged sexual misconduct incident inside a Fayetteville Dollar Tree as a sergeant who previously attended Fayetteville State University as an Army ROTC cadet.
U.S. Army Cadet Command also confirmed Sgt. Musa Ajay Salagbi remains assigned to the command at Fort Bragg while his civilian criminal case moves forward, providing new details about his military status following months of questions surrounding the case.
Salagbi, 23, was arrested Aug. 5 following a Fayetteville Police investigation into an alleged July 2 incident at the Dollar Tree at 7715 Raeford Road.
He is charged with seven felony counts of indecent exposure in the presence of a minor, one felony count of indecent liberties with a child and one misdemeanor count of stalking.
Editor’s Note: This report is the advertising-supported version of our investigation and does not include the explicit video at the center of the case. Subscribers to The Salty Soldier Uncensored can access our expanded coverage, including the uncensored video and additional evidence and reporting that cannot be published here. Subscribe to see the complete story and the material behind our reporting.
“U.S. Army Cadet Command is aware of the arrest and charges involving Sgt. Musa Ajay Salagbi in connection with an alleged incident near Fayetteville, North Carolina,” Ian Ives, deputy director of public affairs for U.S. Army Cadet Command, told The Salty Soldier.
“Salagbi previously attended Fayetteville State University as an Army ROTC cadet and is currently assigned to U.S. Army Cadet Command at Fort Bragg, pending the outcome of civilian legal proceedings,” Ives said.
The statement answers several questions that remained unresolved when The Salty Soldier first reported on the case.
Cadet Command had previously confirmed Salagbi was participating in the Army’s Green to Gold program at the time of the alleged incident but had not initially provided his enlisted rank, university or current military status.
Green to Gold provides eligible enlisted Soldiers a pathway to earn a college degree and pursue a commission as an Army officer through ROTC.
Cadet Command has now confirmed Salagbi holds the enlisted rank of sergeant and previously attended Fayetteville State University as an Army ROTC cadet. The command’s statement also establishes that Salagbi remains assigned to Cadet Command at Fort Bragg while his civilian case is pending.
That does not mean Salagbi remains an ROTC cadet.
In an earlier statement to The Salty Soldier, Cadet Command disclosed that it had already begun the process of disenrolling Salagbi from ROTC before the July 2 Dollar Tree incident.
“Prior to this incident USACC began his disenrollment from the ROTC program,” Ives said in that statement.
Cadet Command has not publicly disclosed what prompted the disenrollment process.
The timing is significant because the administrative action predates the conduct now alleged by Fayetteville Police. It means the July criminal allegations could not, by themselves, have been the reason the Army initially began removing Salagbi from ROTC.
The Salty Soldier previously obtained information indicating Salagbi attended Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox during the 2025 training cycle and did not complete the training. The publication has also received information alleging a reason for his departure.
Cadet Command has not confirmed those circumstances, and The Salty Soldier is continuing to withhold the unverified allegation unless and until sufficient evidence is obtained.
The Army’s latest response also marks a change concerning the involvement of the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.
Before Salagbi’s arrest and before the civilian charges were filed, OSTC told The Salty Soldier that the incident was not on the office’s radar at that time.
Following Salagbi’s arrest, The Salty Soldier notified Army officials, including OSTC, of the charges and sought information about whether the allegations had been referred for military review.
Cadet Command has now confirmed that OSTC is aware of the case.
“The U.S. Army Office of the Special Trial Counsel is aware of the allegations and is monitoring the case,” Ives said.
Cadet Command did not say that OSTC has initiated a military prosecution or that Salagbi has been charged with any offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The command said only that OSTC is aware of the allegations and monitoring the civilian proceedings.
The civilian case stems from an incident The Salty Soldier first began investigating after a woman posted video on social media that appeared to show a man exposing himself inside a Fayetteville Dollar Tree.
The woman alleged the man followed her through the store while exposing himself and masturbating. She publicly identified him as Salagbi and said she reported the incident to civilian law enforcement and the Army.
Fayetteville Police later confirmed to The Salty Soldier that the incident was under investigation.
The subsequent arrest warrant revealed allegations involving juvenile shoppers that were not apparent from the original video.
Police charged Salagbi with seven felony counts alleging he exposed his genitals in the presence of minors inside the store for the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification. Charging documents identify one alleged juvenile as approximately 14 years old and another as approximately 10.
The warrant does not make clear whether the seven exposure charges represent seven different children, and The Salty Soldier has not reported that they do.
Salagbi is also charged with felony indecent liberties with a child. For that count, police allege he committed or attempted to commit a “lewd and lascivious act” upon the body of an unidentified juvenile shopper under 16. The charging document does not explain the precise conduct alleged to constitute that offense.
The misdemeanor stalking charge provides additional corroboration for portions of the woman’s original account.
Police allege Salagbi followed the woman and later contacted her through social media. The warrant further alleges that Salagbi’s girlfriend subsequently contacted the woman.
The woman had previously posted screenshots she represented as messages from the man involved, including a message asking her to remove the video and offering to pay her following an apology.
The Salty Soldier has not independently authenticated those particular messages, and the warrant does not establish that those screenshots are the specific communications underlying the stalking charge.
Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office records previously provided another connection between Salagbi and the military, listing his employer at the time of his arrest as “US ARMY FORT BRAGG.”
Cadet Command’s latest statement now goes considerably further by officially identifying him as Sgt. Musa Ajay Salagbi and confirming his current assignment to U.S. Army Cadet Command at Fort Bragg.
The Army’s responses came after The Salty Soldier repeatedly sought information from military officials concerning Salagbi’s identity, status and the Army’s handling of the allegations. Ives previously explained that a personnel turnover within Cadet Command’s public affairs office in July resulted in an earlier media inquiry not being passed to him.
Since receiving the inquiry, Ives has provided multiple responses addressing the publication’s questions.
“USACC does not condone any acts of misconduct or sexual misconduct as it is a direct contradiction to the values of our command and U.S. Army,” Ives said in the command’s latest statement.
Cadet Command directed questions concerning the prosecution to the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office.
The Army’s latest statement leaves at least one significant question unresolved: why Salagbi was already being disenrolled from ROTC before the alleged Dollar Tree incident.
The Salty Soldier will continue seeking records and answers concerning that process and Salagbi’s military status as the civilian case proceeds.
Salagbi has not been convicted of any of the criminal charges against him. The charges remain allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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